Interviews with Artists and Creatives straight from Santa Barbara's FunkZone and Beyond!

About Me

Episode #006: Skye Gwilliam

In this episode I sit down with the enigmatic (and very tall) Skye Gwilliam and we talk about street art, gallery art, and whether there’s really any difference.

Skye own a gallery in the FunkZone called Gone Gallery and occasionally he’s let me set up shop in the main space and record some of these podcasts. Gotta give him a big thanks for being one of the people that helped this podcast ship sail.

Skye’s style is easily identifiable when it turns up in galleries here or on the sides of buildings. His simple line, Leger-meets-Haring works are always inventive, and his work habits are to be envied. (Like Haring, he’s unstoppable, always working.)

This was a casual, laid back chat, and I hope you groove on it.

Topics discussed include:

The origins of Skye’s studio space
How the FunkZone changed rapidly
The evolution of Skye’s “sad businessman” tag
Skye’s work ethic and how his loss of vestibular function has focused him on art
The etymology of Gwilliam and his family tree
Growing up in Ojai
The punk rock and hip hop influence in Skye’s work
How Skye started drawing in public and leaving his work out there
The PetroChem oil refinery, one of Skye’s first places to “work”
Street artists vs. gang members
Negative responses to street art in the FunkZone
The Danny Swan “beef”
His high school years
His brief time in hotel and restaurant management
Skye’s writing vs. his art
John Federico, Skye’s friend who pushed him into art
The influence of Keith Haring, Basquiat and David Choe
Ribbon-ism, Skye’s all-white paintings
The transition from street art to gallery art
How Skye cast someone else to play him at an art opening
His trip to Greece
A list of inspiring dilapidated places
Skye’s best times to work
The art of the social